A Thousand Voices: Survey shows support for new retail center; split opinions about its effects

This August 2015 plan shows a concept for a retail center at the southeast corner of the South Lawrence Trafficway/Iowa Street interchange.

A new survey of approximately 1,000 LJWorld.com users found that more than 40 percent — more than any other option — supported a proposal to develop a 250,000-square-foot shopping center in south Lawrence.

But respondents were split when asked whether the new big box stores would draw shoppers away from downtown, and a majority said there was just the right amount of retail options in Lawrence already.

A North Carolina-based development group, Collett, filed plans to build the retail and restaurant space at the southeast corner of the South Lawrence Trafficway/Iowa Street interchange. Though not official, Collett officials have said stores such as Academy Sports, Old Navy, Marshalls/HomeGoods and Designer Shoe Warehouse were possible tenants.

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This proposal — and a larger one from the same development group that never gained approval — have started the debate on what type of commercial development Lawrence residents want, how much and where.

It’s a topic the City Commission soon will have to weigh in on.

In August, the Lawrence-Douglas County Planning Commission recommended the development plan for approval.

The City Commission must give the final go-ahead for the project to move forward. The issue is currently listed as a future agenda item for the commission, with a tentative date of Nov. 10.

About this article

A Thousand Voices is a new feature that will measure how at least 1,000 readers of LJWorld.com feel about a variety of issues being debated by the public. The Journal-World will regularly conduct a poll that captures a representative sample of the approximately 35,000 users of LJWorld.com. All polling will be conducted by our partner, Google Consumer Surveys. The Google system chooses participants for the poll at random, has mechanisms in place designed to prevent a single user from casting multiple votes, and calculates results using margins of error and 95 percent confidence levels common to the polling industry.

If you have a topic you would like to see as part of a future poll, please suggest it to Nikki Wentling at nwentling@ljworld.com

Here’s a look at the survey results:

• When respondents were asked how they’d describe the amount of retail shopping options in the city, 63 percent voted there was “just the right amount.” Our polling partner, Google Consumer Surveys, noted that the answer had a 95 percent confidence level, meaning if the poll were conducted 100 times, it would be the top-selected choice 95 times. There being “not enough” shopping options had 32.4 percent of votes. Only 4.6 percent said there was “an unhealthy overabundance.” These results had margins of error from 1.1 to 2.8 percent.

• In response to the question about the proposal to build a new shopping center near the SLT/Iowa Street interchange, 42.5 percent — again, with a 95 percent confidence level — voted in favor of it. The other two choices were close: 29.5 percent said they did not support the development, and 28 percent said they were unsure. Margins of error for this question ranged from 2.5 to 2.9 percent.

• There was no obvious winner on the next question, about whether a new shopping center at the SLT/Iowa Street interchange would draw shoppers away from downtown Lawrence. Of the more than 1,000 responses, 40.3 percent voted that yes, it would draw shoppers from downtown, and 36.9 percent voted no. Another 22.8 percent were unsure. Google Consumer Surveys noted the results were too close to call, and there were margins of error from 2.3 to 2.9 percent.

Take note: Would-be respondents were first asked whether they were Lawrence shoppers. If they answered “no” to this screening question, the survey ended.

It’s clear from our survey results that there remains debate over whether the development could mean new shopping dollars being spent in the city, or if that money would just be pulled from other places, such as downtown stores.

Damage to downtown Lawrence was a concern voiced by residents when the planning commission was considering a larger shopping center that was also proposed by Collett.

The planning commission recommended for denial last year a larger shopping center — more than 500,000 square feet — proposed by the same development group for the same location.

At the time, several planning commissioners said they would prefer a large retail development be located in areas already zoned for commercial development near the Rock Chalk Park sports complex in northwest Lawrence. But that area has not yet attracted any retailers.

On the other side of the argument, there were Lawrence residents who said the city needed new stores, as well as the tax dollars they would bring.

The smaller development plan being considered now comprises two large anchor stores, three junior anchor stores and two other buildings for small shops. Six lots along the SLT are labeled as parcels.

When looking at the smaller shopping development, the planning commissioners in August recommended for approval a change to the city’s comprehensive plan to designate the SLT/Iowa Street interchange area for regional commercial use, instead of auto commercial and residential, as it is now.

It will be interesting to see what happens when this smaller proposal goes to the City Commission.

New commissioner Lisa Larsen has said she doesn’t yet have an opinion on the specific project but has concerns in general with “over-building.” She said she doesn’t want to see empty storefronts in the city, and she noted the importance of keeping downtown stores healthy.

During the election this past spring, commissioner Matthew Herbert said that new retail projects not requesting any tax incentives should be an easy “yes” for the commission, the Journal-World has reported. We also reported that commissioner Leslie Soden said during the campaign that, without proper planning, Lawrence’s retail scene could become too focused on one area of town.